Turning Metal into Meals and Furniture into Food
Repurpose for a Purpose Gives New Meaning to Recycling
How are we turning metal into meals and furniture into food? When businesses remodel or relocate, excess furniture and scrap metal can be removed by our program partners, and a portion of the proceeds helps us heal hunger in our region. This program, which we call Repurpose for a Purpose, is designed as a way for businesses to save money while also fighting food insecurity.
The program is a revival of an earlier effort, which began in 2009 when businessman and OFS volunteer Skip Spielberg connected with Bonnie S. Wedel, facilities manager at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLC. The law firm had undergone a major renovation, and Wedel wanted to put the used furniture from the firm’s nine floors to a good use.
“Instead of all of the furniture ending up in a landfill, the old metal file cabinets and anything else made of metal was melted down, and the proceeds from the sale went to help feed those in need,” says Wedel. “This was one of the most gratifying projects I ever worked on in my professional career.”
For the Metal for Meals and Furniture for Food initiatives, OFS partners with Becker Iron & Metal and Warehouse of Fixtures to remove and repurpose a wide range of materials for businesses of every size, including Fortune 500 companies.
“We’re seeing great opportunities for this program to grow, especially with so many businesses reducing office space as employees have shifted to work-from-home,” says Skip Spielberg, now on the OFS Board of Directors. “It’s an ideal time for OFS to bring back a recycling program that reduces the impact on the environment and helps food-insecure families put food on the table.”
To learn more about the Repurpose for a Purpose program, click here.
